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What is it with vespas?
The Vespa way: Riders of classic Vespas form a community that helps each other out
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The Vespa way: Riders of classic Vespas form a community that helps each other out.
The characteristic clock of revving Vespa engines ring out above a dusty soccer field in Tegalalang, Bali.
Under a scorching sun last weekend thousands of these iconic Italian motor scooters were lined up like pastel-hued flowers in an exhibition garden grown wild.
It is the 20th Platinum Anniversary of Bali's 450 strong Dewata Scooter Club and Vespa riders are here in droves. More than 7,000 Vespa enthusiasts from across the archipelago came to celebrate the achievement, says club committee member, Gusti Ngurah Mataram.
So what is it with Vespas, the Italian word for wasp? According to Mataram, it is their timeless design, based on the body of a wasp way back in 1946 in Italy.
'Vespas are unique, they are part of history and people of all generations love them,' says Mataram, who restores Vespas for a living.
For long-time club member Wayan Sadiata, known as Yannik, the Vespa appeal is all about safety. 'Vespas are unique because when you are driving them, you are very safe. With the hidden exhaust you never risk burning your legs. These are all metal, there is no plastic, so if they get damaged, you have to repaint the whole bike, like a car.'
Being all metal makes the bikes safer, says Yannick, adding that price and repairability also make Vespas accessible to all.
'Most people like Vespas because they are classic, they are not expensive and can be modified. All the spare parts can easily be found,' says this club member attending the event with his 5-year-old son.
At this 20th club anniversary, it is not just young men revving their engines; the testosterone-fueled event of men and machines is well tempered by toddlers perched with their mother's in sidecars, or dashing from one chopped Vespa to the next, seeing transformers come to life on this arid field ripe for childhood dreams.
'My son has stayed with me the whole weekend. I have a sidecar that he rides in, so of course he loves Vespas,' says Yannick whose rig is polished and in top condition.
Other machines here squat in accidental homage to the Mad Max films. Winner of the Best Vespa Extreme is Syukur, who along with a couple of mates has made the 420-kilometer trip from East Java's capital, Surabaya, on his stripped-out Vespa.
How the 23-year-old has managed this feat seems impossible. His 4-meter-long bike rides just 15 centimeters above the asphalt; he and his crew are seated on short planks of wood above the exhaust that runs the length of the bike. The rear tail light is strung on a meter-tall stick that is also the collection point for waste plastic bottles ' selling these to trash collectors will go some way to covering the fuel to get home, explained Syukur. 'Gathering these bottles for sale is better than leaving a mess,' he says.
The only aspects of his machine that are recognizable as Vespa parts are the engine mounted on the rough-welded handle bars and the half dozen Vespa wheels on the rear axle.
'It took us four nights to get here from Surabaya. We travel at night to stay clear of police. The engine is strong enough to carry the three of us, even through the mountains on the way,' says Syukur of his bike that requires car registration because of its length.
Also making the journey from East Java is Majid and his girlfriend Nabila riding a 1976 Vespa 150. Theirs was a rough three-night trip from Bojonegoro; their white Vespa has a rusted out cavity where a headlamp should be and the bike's brakes have just been repaired by mates in Bali.
'We had some small problems on the way. We had no lights, so we used the torch on a mobile phone. We had no brakes either, so we used the gears to slow coming down mountains. That's one of the best things about Vespas. You can turn off the engine, put the bike in first gear and slowly roll down the hills. Friends here in Bali fixed the brakes for the trip home,' says Majid.
Helping keep these bikes running and the support among Vespa riders is what Nabila says the lifestyle is all about.
'Vespa life is cool. On the road we stop and help each other out. If we buy one serving of food, that will feed six of us. We come together as a community, as an alternative way of living. We are brothers and sisters on the road,' says the 19-year-old, who like many at the 20th anniversary travelled long distances and is broke, hungry and thirsty, but is sure of the helping hands of the Vespa family that will get her and Majid home safely. So just what is it with Vespas? Community, says Nabila.
' Photos by J.B. Djwan
